Definition
Writing new ideas every day may improve your idea generation ability, which should make you more creative and resourceful thus improving many facets of life.
How to Do It
Using a notepad or a note app, write down 20 ideas every day.
The ideas can be about anything you are working on such as your business, health, working out, creative projects, things around the house. Basically anything on your mind.
If you want to really strengthen your creativity muscle keep all the ideas on 1 topic per session. I.e. Monday all business ideas, tuesday all health ideas ect.
Next to ideas you want to act on, write down the first steps you’d need to take.
Benefits
May boost creativity[1,2,3]
Time Commitment
10-20 minutes a day
Why it works
This exercise treats creativity as a muscle. You may struggle to come up with 20 ideas on the spot, but you will get better at it - just like how you get better at lifting heavier weights[1,2].
Writing a larger amount of ideas every day reduces your drive for perfectionism because it will be hard to come up with so many perfect ideas. And perfectionism may hinder creativity[4].
Suggested Frequency
Daily, or 2-3 times per week
Supporting Studies and Articles
Side Effects
Coming up with ideas everyday may lead you to start too many projects not finish them and lose some focus. So be sure not to lose focus on your overall goals and objectives and prioritize the great ideas that you come up with in light of that.
Gurus/Celebrities/Doing it
James Altucher
Chris Winfield
Category Health/Productivity/Mood:
- Productivity
- Mood
Suggested Time of Day
Any
Notes
- Some people recommend only 10 ideas a day. This may also bring benefits, but may make it easier for perfectionism to limit your creativity. The more ideas you need to come up with, the less you’ll feel the need for them to be perfect.
- If you’re interested in planning your daily or weekly activities, the first steps toward executing ideas you identify in this exercise can be used as a starting point.
